Debt Talk Causes Spike In Calls, Emails To Md. Congressional Reps

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ)— Six days and counting. The great U.S. debt debate continues to occupy Congress, the president, and as political reporter Pat Warren explains, the folks at home.

Maryland voters raise the roof over the federal debt ceiling.

President Barack Obama urges voters to pick up the phone.

“If you want a balanced approach to reducing the deficit, let your member of Congress know. If you believe we can solve this problem through compromise, send that message,” Obama said.

And Maryland’s congressional representatives are getting an earful.

“They’re skewing more toward increasing the debt limit at least in the Timonium office where we received 35 phone calls on this issue. Only three asked the congressman not to raise the debt limit. So I certainly think that at least in our district, they’re supporting an increase. They want us to avoid a debt fall crisis,” said Jaimie Lennon, Dutch Ruppersberger aide.

Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger is still getting calls, and so is Maryland republican Andy Harris.

“Generally we receive around 100 calls a day or so. In the last 48 hours, we’ve been receiving more than 500 calls a day,” said Katharine Tate, Harris’ operations director.

The issue has definitely hit a nerve, and it appears the voters are mainly siding with their parties.

“A lot of calls are asking the congressman to stay strong, to stand to his principals, to stop spending in Washington and to balance the budget,” Tate said.

It’s been said you know you’ve reached a true compromise when neither side is happy. Well, no agreement has been arrived yet, and everybody’s unhappy.

Both offices also report a spike in emails.

Pat WarrenPat Warren joined the WJZ news team in 1992.
Pat came to WJZ from WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio, where she had been a news anchor and general...More fromPat Warren

Sounds like ninety-five percent of us want to raise the debt limit. This is typical for Americans that can’t manage their own income, and expect even less from government. Sad thing is…if the debt limit is increased, then the government will continue spending instead of cutting back. Where do you think this money comes from? Bravo! The government will need to collect more money from YOU, in order to spend more money with their new ceiling on debt. That means that You will have less money to pay your own bills, while taxes, fees, tolls, and the like will continue to increase to meet the new level of government spending. Doesn’t anybody think anymore? How many of you want to contribute more out of your takehome pay, to allow government to continue to spend beyond their budget? Better yet: How many (in these economic times of crisis) can even afford to toss the gov more money without jepardizing your home, your car, or your standard of living? Its time for the government to balance its budget; not increase it. After all, how would your financial portfolio fare, if you handled your money like the government does?

In no other area of human endeavor would the cure for an addiction be to give the addict more of what he is addicted to. Giving Congress more money is akin to giving an alcoholic another drink. Breaking an addiction is painful, but it doesn’t get any less painful by putting it off. Who’s trying to take the bottle away and who’s denying they have a problem? If you answer those questions truthfully you can’t help but come down in favor of the efforts of Republicans to use the temporary leverage they have to get spending concessions from the Democrats that would otherwise never come. Regan took them at their word when he was persuaded to raise taxes in exchange for promised spending cuts which never came. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

There skewing to raise the debt! Don’t believe that remark, I no two that called and said not to raise our debt add myself thats three and there no way we were the only ones to say that. Sooner or latter spending has to stop so why not now? Obama wants to spend more so he can buy another 4 years on backs of our children and grand children. Tea party Republicans won for a reason.

It’s funny to me how there have been multiple Presidents that the congress have voted this through. The poor get help, the rich get richer and the middle class get nothing. President O’Bama has promised that anyone with a salary under $250,000, taxes will not increase. Let’s hit these oil companies and big organizations and let them start paying more instead of handing them all these tax breaks. The middle class people are the ones that need the help. This is all political just a political game. Support the President instead of trying to work against him. Give him a chance, he came into this mess from other peoples mess ups. It’s going to take more than one term to get out of it.

The debt limit needs to be raised and spending thereafter should be controlled and handled responsibly. The budget needs to be balanced. No President cannot clear up a mess in a short period that his predecessor caused to happen. President Obama is sincere, altough not appropriate always.,.Give him another chance. Good thoughts Sandy and Morons.

He has had his chance. He spends like a drunkin sailor. 4.1 billion a day. The spending has got to stop. We, myself included, voted for a man with absolutely no experience. A community organizer? What the heck is that? While in the Senate he voted “present” most of the time and the rest he spent campaigning for President. All Obama and the democrats want to do is spend mainly for entitlement programs. Their main purpose is to increase the size of government and a redistribution of wealth. So if a person wants to give him another chance by all means use your right to vote.

This mess belongs to every politician in office now, every politician that has been in office, and every American that has continued to re-elect the SAME DAMN people back into office. When will all you dummies wake up and realize the truth! Republicans and Democrates, although have different tactics, ideas and ways of doing things, all end up with the same results. The rob from the middle class and either give it to the rich or give it to the poor. This is why the middle class can’t make it any more. Its called wealth re-distribution. And further more, they don’t care about anyone but themselves and how much wealth they can obtain at anyones expense. It is time to have a balanced budget amendment, a term limit admendment, and to have ALL politicians legally held responsible for the decisions that they make. No person in an elected office should recieve any pay unless there is money LEFT over in the budget after ALL obligations are met. Untill the American people get it, they are going to continue to “get it”!

we have had more republicans than democrats as president both parties have some good points and bad ones. At the end of the day what they need to do is stop acting like children and do what is right for eveyone. It took more than one term to put us here and it is going to take more than one to fix this.STOP THE ARGUING AND DO SOME DAMN WORK TO COME TO A SOLUTION LIKE GROWN MEN AND WOMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

shut it down, down with this bloated gov’t of lies. no more welfare no more state sponsored abortion. no more gov’t credit cards for drug abusers. audit it, cut down spending, and prepare for 1950s austerity!